NEW ENGLAND MUSIC AWARDS – SIX CHORDS GRILL

NEW ENGLAND MUSIC AWARDS – SIX CHORDS GRILL

By Ralph Beauchamp

On Sunday 12/11 2023, New England Music Awards held their annual awards ceremony at the Six String Grill and Stage in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to a packed musical luminary. The room was packed wall to wall with amazing talent from all over the New England area. This being my first year on the Nominating Committee, I had no idea what to expect. To my surprise, the Six String Grill was packed with music industry heavyweights and tons of incredible musicians.

Walking around the grounds, I ran into several old friends and met many new ones. Several of the artists that were there were from my nominations and I felt proud that they made the shortlist for awards in various categories. All of Shame Penguin sat by the bar. Zero One Zero was well represented. Octavate was another group that appeared. My cousin, Rick Fleck, who is a DJ at WaveRadio Boston and one of the evening's hosts, introduced me to several artists, including Robotic Hawks who eventually won the Rising Star: New Hampshire award.

Photos by Ryan Davey

Beloved son, Frank Viele was also present. He came a little late but made up for lost time. He practically knew the whole room. Frank guided me, setting up meetings with many of his fellow singer/songwriters. These were artists I knew through their social media posts, but had never met in person. Nick Bosse, Gracie Day, Lee-Ann Lovelace and Kier Byrnes (of Kier Byrnes and the Kettleburners) were just a few. Viele is a force to be reckoned with both musically and socially. In addition, Viele won the coveted Act Of The Year award. A first for a CT native.

Other notables included Rafe Klein from The Name Droppers and his beautiful wife. They won Blues Act of the Year, which they deserved. Shame Penguin won the Punk Rock category as well as Sepsiss for Hard Rock/Metal band. The Gravel Project won the Roots division. These are all artists that AMP has featured in the past. Rising Star: CT went to The Midnight Anthem. Other notable winners were Air Traffic Controller for album of the Year and Mel Go Hart for Producer of the Year. I was a little disappointed in this category since good friend Vic Steffens was nominated. Hip Hop Act of the Year went to Chase Stebbins and The Only Known.

All evening the festivities went off without a hitch. All the presenters were entertaining even though their microphones seemed a little too low. The production team had everything like clockwork. In between the awards, the house was entertained with an incredible variety of live acts. Muddy Ruckus opened the night with a rousing set. Other performers included American Ink, The Midnight Anthem, Tyler Levs and Joliet4 and 12/OC to name a few. Every artist had the space bouncing with rocking vibes.

As I mentioned before, this was my first year participating. There are a lot of people who I think deserve a huge amount of recognition. John Fleming as Executive Director has created a very important voice for the local music community in the North East. There are so many intoxicating artists across all genres who need a place to be heard and celebrated in the North East and John has given them that awesome outlet.

Lindsay J. Van Kauwenberg as Producer was flawless. He seemed to coordinate the whole event with understanding and patience. This is a huge undertaking and Lindsay handled it with the utmost grace. Sound engineer Aidan Reardon did a great job.

Finally, Six String Grill should take a bow. It was a full house, but the staff kept their cool. Drinks and food came quickly and with a smile. Overall the evening was a huge success. I'm really looking forward to next year. Below is the full list of winners and a list of the amazing presenters and staff.

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